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Thursday, April 20, 2017

Q is for Queen City (Cincinnati): A to Z Blogging Challenge

It's April and you know what that means: The AtoZ Blogging Challenge! For those who haven't played along before, the AtoZ Blogging Challenge asks bloggers to post every day during April (excepting Sundays), which works out to 26 days, one for each letter of the alphabet. In my opinion, it's the most fun if you choose a theme.

My theme this year is Places in my Heart, all about the places I've been and loved and that have mattered to me in a lasting sense.

For my regular readers, you'll see more than the usual once-a-week posts from me this month. I'm having a great time writing them, so I hope you enjoy reading them, too.

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Q is for Queen City (Cincinnati)

I grew up four blocks and a bridge from Cincinnati, Ohio, in Kentucky. We used to walk across the bridge to attend Reds games (my face firmly planted in my father's back because I'm afraid of man-made heights).

I was closer to some of the downtown pleasures than a lot of people who actually have a Cincinnati zip code. And a busy river city is never dull. There's always something to see.

There were a lot of lovely things about growing up there. Cincinnati is a good sized city with lots of city pleasures and attractions. Museums, movies, parks, the zoo, a symphony (ah, Music Hall), and many more such things. It's big enough to attract traveling shows like the circus and all the ___ On Ice shows (fill in the blank with popular character of the week). There are good concert venues like Riverbend and popular events like the WEBN fireworks every Labor Day. All in all, I'm glad to have grown up there, with access to so much.

The city has changed a lot in my lifetime, mostly for the better. I can remember when they put in Sawyer Point, a lovely city park right on the river with a great playground, lots of room to walk and a cool ice and roller skating area. I was sad when they moved my Natural History museum, but I've visited since in the new Union Terminal setting, and it's lovely.

I've ragged on it over the years, as people sometimes do about their hometowns: seeing the flaws more than the offerings. But I always enjoy it when I make it back to visit. She really is a queen of a city.